It is quite hard finding free-access wifi anywhere in Japan, let alone access that does not require you to sit and purchase a drink (most often at such exciting local eateries as McDonald’s or Starbucks)…
Which is why I figured I’d commit this tidbit of info to Google (and the occasional Kyoto-bound reader of this blog):
I just noticed some new banners have been put up along Shijo dori, announcing free wifi in the street. This is apparently courtesy of the neighbourhood’s shopkeeper association. Only small catch is that the wifi is password-protected1I have no doubt there is a suitably pointless bureaucratic reason for that.… and nobody seems to have realised that the primary target for such an offer (foreign tourists without 3G cell phones and limitless data plans) might have a hard time reading the katakana spelling of “password” on the banners. Ahem.
Anyway, the free wifi network info are:
Access point: shijo-0123456789
Password: 0123456789
I had been amazed how easy free wi-fi in the US is … it is everywhere, big signs outside .. most of the times no password.
In Germany on the other hand (or Europe in general, big paranoia here that your wi-fi will be used for pedophelia and terror emails), most wi-fi routers come with a 16 digit un-memorizable (and unchangable) password … McD Germany works around like that … you have to log in with your mobile phone number and then you get a PW on your phone … again, great for the roaming tourists …